1:12 Bear Cookies and Sodas! And many missing updates!

1:12 scale dollhouse miniature bear cookie packages - polymer clay, pastels, inkscape, paper, plastic, wire

Phew! It's been a really humid Sunday, the rain this morning didn't seem to get rid of the heat~~ *perspires* working with polymer clay has also warmed up my room! 

I first came across real life versions of these TOTALLY ADORABLE bear cookies in my facebook stream! 

http://www.neol.jp/blog/maa/クマビスケットの作り方/

Couldn't shake it out of my head, even though I was drowsy on cold medication :P Just had had HAD to make 'em!

Of course, this wouldn't be a Cindy-post if I didn't muck up. While trying to figure out how to make rabbit and cat versions of them, I got so excited that I baked these prototypes without applying pastels to the raw polymer clay before baking XD XD XD These are also adaptations to the original design, I have one more, but that's a secret for now (or rather, I'm really too sick to keep going... *koffkoffKOFF*)

But!!! I put that aside yesterday, and finished up the bear batch today. They are now up on my Etsy store  (you can visit the store via the Etsy widget on the right of my blog too!)

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature bowl and dishes - PVC sheet, decal

I have also neglected to blog about my progress on my Brew cafe.....prototyping had to be done for dishes....

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature paper cups - Inkscape, paper, glue

and more cups, this time for hot drinks, and maybe even more sodas?? Am in the middle of my 3rd failure at making those hot coffee cup covers, so of course, that was put aside until I have enough strength to fail again, and again.........

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature sandwiches - air dry clay, acrylic paint, glue

 also worked on some sandwich packaging, am not happy with these but after failing for 2 days straight, I decided to work on something else (the cookies haha). And I was too generous with the sandwich fillings!!! They are bursting out of the packaging! Or I have to make bigger sandwich holders. Hrm. *head hurts trying to decide*

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature sandwiches - air dry clay, acrylic paint, glue

Since they are too fat for the packaging, these will also go into my cafe :) I had been hoping to film another video as part of my "Watch Me Work" series, of me assembling some of these sandwiches, but of course, this cold and sore throat I have has delayed plans for that. Hurrumph. Maybe next week. 

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature milkshakes - epoxy resin, acrylic paint, PVC sheet, decal, Inkscape

If you have been following my facebook or instagram, you probably have seen these milkshakes already! I have listed some of them on my Etsy too ^_^

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature iced sodas - epoxy resin, ink, PVC sheet, decal, Inkscape

When I first posted these up on facebook, the response was really encouraging, and some lovely customers bought up a few of these almost immediately! *grateful bow*

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature iced sodas - epoxy resin, ink, PVC sheet, decal, Inkscape

So I decided to open a pre-order (now closed, sorry!), and 2 more lovely ladies ordered the above 6 sodas ^_^

Don't worry, I still have some up in my Etsy store, and if there is still more demand, I will open another round of pre-orders once I have more cups made!

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature plastic cups - PVC sheet

Speaking of which, the stack on the left are the 'for sale' ones, and the stack on the right are rejects :( The failure rate for the cups is high, more because I use a heat gun and control of the temperature is not so even. But I will still use the 'failure' stack as props in my Brew Cafe!

If you wish to know how I made these cups, please do refer to my previous post/video where I have discussed the tools, material and technique I used!

1:12 dollhouse scale miniature Danish Butter Cookies - Tin (from greedbay), paper, polymer clay, pastels, sealant, decal, Inkscape, Fastum Gel, Anarex

A few weeks ago (or maybe even months!) I received 2 emails from 2 separate customers who requested the ever popular danish butter cookie sets. Although I enjoy making them, the sheer repetitiveness of crimping the papers and making 24 polymner clay cookies per tin simply wrecks my hand and shoulder. I have been slathering the injuries with Fastum Gel and taking anarex, and am much better now, but really, I can no longer take orders for these T-T But I have other ideas in mind, let's see when I am ready to experiment (read: fail without flipping the table) again!!!!!

PHEW! Sooooo many updates! I had no idea I was so productive :P Keeping busy is good. Throwing myself into work is the best way not to drive myself crazy, what with everything going on now. 

(sometimes I feel stupid blogging anymore, it seems not that many people bother reading blogs, what with instant gratification sites like instagram and pinterest? I am guilty of moving on to Instagram, but when I feel like ruminating or am sick of talking to myself, it's always nice to return here.

Hello, are you still out there? Have you fallen asleep? *pokes and jabs*

New Video: Vacuum Forming for Miniature Making - A Brief Introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLX0nxIZPXchNj5qMa9aq5A5wU0jMr_lqW&v=eJZmYioN2q4

Hi~! I'm feeling very self-conscious listening to myself, I guess it takes a lot of getting used to. And my voice doesn't sound like me at all.....

I've missed out a few points, but I suppose that will be remedied in future videos, please feel free to leave comments on what you would like me to cover in my next vacuum form video, and I will try to go a little more in-depth to the best of my ability. 

Also, if you have enjoyed my videos, perhaps you would like to consider visiting my Patreon page.

https://www.patreon.com/snowfern

Supporters will receive more perks as I put together some rewards and Patreon-exclusive content. This will include behind the scene photos, technical knowledge and even step-by-step videos and tutorials. I will still create free-to-public content, so for my loyal followers, don't worry :) You can help me keep producing content by sharing and liking my videos, facebook page etc etc :)

Thanks for watching! *embarrassed grin*

1:6 scale miniature Sushi Platters

Phew! This has got to be the most challenging commission yet! Late last year, a request came in from a gentleman who was a sushi fan, and he showed me his impressive collection of sushi-related items, such as pens, fake food displays from Japan, Re-ment sets, and even dollhouse scaled miniatures.

You can check out his amazing collection here!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10423851@N06/sets/72157619023642386

Thanks Russell :)

Although I had already stopped accepting commissions late last year due to various personal and health reasons, he had already approached 2 other miniaturists and seemed increasingly dejected about not being able to find anyone to achieve his vision. My own fear was that, due to unpredictable and unstable situations at home and with my health, I didn't want to disappoint him a third time!!! So I requested that I could only do it if I was given a flexible schedule to work with...this is a big ask, I mean, what if I left him hanging, right? Not that I've ever done that before, but ...you know....life being what it has been for me, hasn't exactly been 'less than interesting' XD

Anyway,  we came to an agreement, he left me to it, and 5 months later......

1:6, playscale miniature sushi platter. Microbeads, air dry clay, acrylic paint, UV resin, epoxy resin (oke), paper, sealant 

1:6, playscale miniature sushi platter. Air dry clay, acrylic paint, UV resin, epoxy resin (oke), paper, sealant

these were photos before I glued everything down, the actual items are arranged slightly differently, but I prefer this photoshoot/arrangement...trying to allow a bit more asymmetry into my life (I am the type of person who cannot resist straightening a crooked painting, and as a kid would gladly spend hours at departmental stores arranging toys and candies on the shelves. No, not OCD. Really. REALLY. :P) I guess in my eyes, these little imperfections are more reflective of how my life is like, a little wonky. Looks like I've progressed in that department. A little. yeah, i think too much.

He also took the time to list out each and every sushi name, with photo references, which helped me greatly in achieving as much realism as possible. Although these are also referenced against his actual collection of life sized fake sushi items, I decided to go for a little more realism (or at least, from what I've seen in photos, I don't eat sushi too frequently), and I hope it's reflected in the results.

1:6 playscale miniature sushi variety

Just FYI, the Singapore 10-cent coin is 1.8cm, or 11/16 inches in diameter

Each and every sushi, was individually sculpted. Even each individual grain of rice, although not visible here, was painstakingly put together. You can view them in my WIP photos in my instagram account @snowfern, or facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SnowfernClover. No molds were used, except for the containers/okes, which were made by modifying a random plastic container cover that I found at home ages ago, creating a silicon mold, casting with epoxy resin, and finished by sanding, then detailing the rim with acrylic paint. Although the original oke had a gold image on the sides, the quote did not include it as I have very little experience with painting images, and was afraid it would turn out too primitive/amateur looking. 

The greatest challenge, and why this took so long (apart from real life interruptions) was that I had never made these in 1:6 scale before. The most common scales I work with are in 1:12, 1:3 and some 1:4, and if you've crossed scales in minimaking before, you'll understand that it always takes quite a bit of adjustment and tweaking to cater to shrinkage, the translucency of the clay and paint.....etc. etc. Also, due to this, I had to re-do a number of pieces as air dry clay takes sometimes days to dry fully before the actual colour/translucency is shown, so a lot of it is trial and error. And leftover itty bitty pieces of clay XD

Thus ties up the last of my customer obligations until after my wedding/move in September. People around me are getting more nervous than I am, and I really ought to get that dress and bouquet sewn....so much to do but, yeah. it's not exactly at the top of my priority list. I guess I'm too old to be an excited bride. |||XD |||XD |||XD

(haha those are wrinkles above my brow)

Meanwhile, I will still be working on some 1:12 items and youtube videos, and sprucing up my Patreon page. Plans are, once I've settled into my new life as a wife, and mini-making schedule, I will start work on that book that I keep harping on about. But I need some passive income to make that possible, medical bills and all that :( So if you see posts disappearing or edited to appear 'shinier' and less whingy, don't be alarmed, I haven't changed, I just need to put some spit and shine on this old barn :P

Thanks so much for all the love, care and support this far. *bows* :)

Brew, 1:12 miniature scale coffee shop - Part 2-ish

1:12 scale miniature bubble tea and milkshakes (at the back!) - PVC, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, decals, microbeads

Hi~! It's a pretty warm Sunday here, and although I try not to work on weekends, there's so much to catch up on, and I am eager to complete a little more miniature work before wedding preparations go into full swing. :O

This post was supposed to be about how I put together some LED lighting for the customer area of the shop, but as usual, I mucked things up as I got tired of waiting for some LED bulbs to get here, and instead worked with surface mounted LEDs...ever since Pepper put up her video tutorial on how to make a doll lamp, I have been itching to try it out! 

But we all know how crappy I get with following instructions. Attention span of a gnat and all that.

 To be very honest, I'm surprised these photos even got taken at all. Looked up parallel circuits to confirm if my memory was correct, and Professor Google did not disappoint once again ^_^ 

I used dollhouse wire, 32 gauge by Houseworks. I wonder if it's the thinnest available, but it's the thinnest I found last year off ebay, so that's what I got. Though I think I'll save the remainder for when I'm more confident with wiring, shipping was exorbitant and cost almost as much as if not more than the wire *sigh* For future experiments, I'll probably use the wires inside some retired USB cables, if I can remember to do so......

For the lampshades, as usual, overthought stuff and worried about the lights bouncing off the ceiling, so I used these iron-on studs to act as reflectors, and some plastic caps off cheap pencils from a dollar store. Bad move with the iron-on studs, forgot they were metal and kept messing up the circuits until the realization, and /facepalm moment. After which I just coated the exposed wire bits with silicon glue and all was well again.

Sort of.

The plywood that held the circuitry was covered with a piece of plastic from a folder/file that I had lying around. Just plonked it onto the plywood with double-sided tape. I like the effect. 

Have I mentioned I tend to overthink things? Although I tested all the wiring before soldering it together, I only added the resistor near the very end. But of course, by using a resistor the lighting was rather dim. SIGH. But I was already COMMITTED to the project! XD 

*heavy sighs again* I have to remind myself of the law of diminishing returns, and stop obsessing......yikes.

ANYWAY. the black rods are straws and once the new LED bulbs (wide angled ones) finally get here, I'll rewire it. I like how it looks now, just not how dim it is.

Minecraft legomen are my current indulgence, from a neighbourhood gachapon machine :X

(I'm quite rubbish at sandbox games, not very imaginative :( But I RUVS Minecraft!)

Mishaps aside, also made these wee sodas and frappucinos. I want to make more videos, and although I was all ready to do a brief introduction to vacuumforming video, the headphones that I bought yesterday were analog, and I had not realizied that the replacement laptop I am now using did not have a mic port T-T. Which means I either have to

1) get an adaptor which would cost more than the headphones

2) get a USB headset

I can't even get an exchange as in my excitement to get started, I opened up the box, as if this weren't bad enough, the receipt was with my cousin GRARRGHHHH RAWRRRRRRRRR well. Dad has a new headset now XD

Super super irritated at myself, 

 I'm becoming seriously more forgetful and distractible over the past year. Age is definitely catching up with me......GYARRGHHH

k. Next post. Then I gotta get going. 

Back to 1:12. distractions.

Mmmmmm coffeeeee...... This post will be more of a personal one, so you have been warned.

But first, Coffee! I had had a few ideas brewing (haha) in my head for more than a few months now, but owing to my limited drawing skills, and lack of experience with Inkscape, I put them aside, thinking I will try again if I had the time. And the energy to fail. Cos, I always fail, at least once. Or twice. Just to be sure.

It didn't start with this logo though. It started with LED lights. I had purchased a roll of LED light strips, and wanted to make some lit signboards, and figured that once I succeeded, everything else should fall into place. It was also always a goal of mine to finish a 'proper' roombox, not a piddly little photography corner - which never got completed, and fell apart after I accidentally dropped my re-ment roombox onto it HAWHAW SIIGHHHH.

My previous attempts at signage lighting were....not well thought out. The lights weren't diffused enough, and not distanced enough so you could see the bulb placements, even through a 1mm thick white acrylic sheet. Now that I have enough spare lights, and a bit more experience with soldering, I decided to give it another try.

So I built this first:

Preview #dollhouse #scaleminiature #scaleoneinch #onetwelfth #handmade #wood #woodwork #acrylicsheet #LED #DIY #lighting #signage #fictional #coffeehouse

A video posted by @snowfern on Mar 31, 2015 at 2:52am PDT

which led to my previous post about the ringlight yada yada, and then to the logo.

OOps. forgot to take photos of the signboard. It's actually supposed to be a menu board, but I was a little too busy to concentrate on the menu design. Gave it a forward tilt, 60 degrees IIRC. Though it might seem very 'deep', I will have shelvings at each side, so that will mask it (I hope). The depth is to cater to the diffusion of the light. The 1mm white acrylic sheet helps with the glare, and the logo was printed onto tracing paper and temporarily slotted at the front.

The base of the roombox is exactly 30cm x 30cm , and was a discarded sample that I picked up from the bin area near my ex-office building :X Everything else was either plywood or wooden strips from Daiso.

Grey/white tiles are laser printed sticker sheet that I made a few years ago, that had been languishing in my vverrry thick stash of "might-be-useful-papers". Aluminum sticker sheets from Daiso.

I have done a little more than this photo, put in more polycarbonate/acrylic windows.

Made a wooden form to create some squarish coffee cups, via thermoforming. I -think- the material is styrene sheet, but when I bought it, it was labelled "plasticard"? And it is my favourite thermoplastic to work with. I'm still not satisfied with my clumsy and totally inefficient thermoforming/vacuumform setup, so I'll tweak it a bit more. Curved a piece of plastic around a knitting needle, and drilled a hole in the side to slot it in. 

Probably will re-make this, and size it down, it's quite a large mug, about 9cm wide. But I like how it looks. 

Took me only 5 hrs to come up with ONE cup. T-T. *sardonic grin*

Also, tried to make more bubble tea cups. My previous batch was ...'passable' but not good enough. I hope this batch looks better. Still trying to figure out how to make 'to scale' working straws....will give it another try later today. These were made with 0.3mm clear PVC sheets from an arts supply store.

Welp. That's it. On to the personal stuff.

--------------------------------------------

Ahma has been hospitalized since 26th March, after a week of persistent back pains. She has been diagnosed with myocardial infarction and fractured spine, but is in stable condition now. They are not considering surgery for her due to her age + risks,  and she has been fitted with a back brace to help her move when she gets home.

My health, although worsening, is under management too, with the help from my very very understanding and loving fiance, and an adenomyosis support group on FB. I wish I had found out about them sooner.

I've originally expressed more, but somehow, everything i've written just seems so....irrelevant and reductive. Maybe I am coping better than I expected myself to. That's progress too, and worth noting.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be cryptic. I really did want to write about everything, but...in re-reading it, even -I- got irritated at my own whining. Time to get on with life.